Spark 6 – How to think more strategically: Holistic Thinking: Example

How do you go about learning this critical skill? What steps do you take to get this level of insight?

• Know these four things:

1. How change happens: How do you or can you make impact happen (aka The Theory of Change).
2. How you work: Unpack your operating model down to value chains so you can see the atomic makeup of how you make change happen.
3. Where the links are: Map out the links between your teams using whiteboards and network mapping tools.
4. The gap of wasted aspiration: Be realistic and map out, in plain speak, the gap between what your best possible self could look like and what you do now, and highlight disconnection and non-holistic thinking.

• Broaden information sources: Actively seek diverse information sources to gain a wide range of perspectives. This includes industry reports, academic research and insights from different stakeholders to shed light on what you are and could be.
• Practise cross-disciplinary learning: Engage with ideas and concepts from various disciplines. This might involve attending workshops or webinars outside your field to understand different approaches and methodologies.
• Stress-test: Develop your thinking, solutions or hypothesis and test each and every gap you have identified in the steps above to see if the outcomes could be improved by being holistic.
• Project outside the workplace: Cultivate a systems thinking approach, viewing the organisation as part of a larger ecosystem and understanding how leveraging parts of the system can enhance your strategic thinking.

To clarify, let’s draw a picture of where we want to end up with all this … Imagine yourself in a command centre, surrounded by a series of dials and buttons.

Each dial represents a facet of your organisation or project—finance, human resources, societal impact, you name it. Now, holistic thinking is like having an extra dial labelled ‘Optimal Outcome’, which is connected to all the other dials.

Turning it doesn’t just move one or two indicators; it optimally adjusts them all, creating a harmonious balance that achieves your strategic goals without undermining any single aspect.

How to think strategically: action steps

To implement holistic thinking, start with these actionable steps:

• Systems thinking courses: To really grasp the concept of holistic thinking in strategic planning, delve into courses on systems thinking. This is essentially the academic term for holistic thinking and teaches you to see how parts interact within the whole of a system. You’ll not only get frameworks, but also real-world applications that can elevate your strategy game.

• Scenario-planning workshops: One of the best ways to get comfortable with holistic thinking is to engage in scenario planning. Workshops can offer hands-on experience in considering multiple variables and seeing how they interconnect. You can find these workshops being offered by think tanks, universities and consulting firms.

• Advanced strategy simulations: Digital simulation tools, often used in MBA programs, allow you to virtually implement strategic decisions and see their cascade effects in an entire organisation or ecosystem. Some of these tools have evolved to a level of sophistication that is profoundly enlightening.

• Peer-to-peer learning circles: Sometimes, wisdom comes from the collective. Form or join learning circles focused on strategy and problem-solving. The multiple perspectives you’ll encounter will naturally push you to think more holistically. These circles can be in-person or digital, formal or casual.

• AI-driven analysis tools: While not a replacement for human intuition and expertise, AI tools that can analyse massive datasets can provide insights that would be otherwise impossible or incredibly time-consuming to obtain. This analysis can help inform a more holistic view of a given strategic issue.

• Mindfulness and cognitive flexibility training: Holistic thinking is not just about external factors; it’s also about internal cognitive processes. Training programs that focus on mindfulness and cognitive flexibility can help hone your ability to juggle multiple thoughts and consider various perspectives simultaneously.

Sorting through the world of resources that could help was difficult for this Spark. I suggest you pick one or two of the above, compare to the problem or opportunity in front of you, and become proficient at that before stepping out into the other tools.